Fort Lauderdale's Problematic Sewage System Gets An Update

A sewer main break in the parking lot of George English Park in June 2016 led to the closing down of George English Park.

Caitie Switalski
/ WLRN

Originally published on December 18, 2017 6:21 pm

Fort Lauderdale's troublesome, aging sewage system just got a major update, according to a new city report.

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Hear the latest on the public works project.

A 30-inch force main--a main support sewage line--that runs underneath SW 2nd St. started to repeatedly break near the end of 2016. So, the Public Works Department's Go Big, Go Fast campaign started with an emergency declaration to replace the pipe at the end of September this year.

After the damage, sewage trucks had to pump waste from one manhole to another to get the sewage to the city’s wastewater plant for treatment.

But not anymore. The new force main is now in place--and it has backup pipes.

The second phase of the the process, pressure testing the pipe, is scheduled to start on Dec. 18. The Fort Lauderdale Public Works Department expects to have the entire project completed by the end of May 2018. It’s costing the city $14.5 million dollars.

The environmental advocacy group Miami Waterkeeper is suing Miami-Dade County for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act after finding a sewage pipe that might have been leaking into the ocean for almost a year.

The Waterkeepers filed a notice of intent to sue in 60 days. The lawsuit will ask the county to fix this leak and inspect all outfall pipes, as well as suggest that the county contribute to the Biscayne Bay restoration trust fund, instead of paying civil penalties.